The first time I heard the words "University Singers" together was in the 
bustling crowd of the Fall Activities Fair. Groups of all kinds demanded my 
attention, but Anna Oppenheimer grabbed me by the shirt collar and made me 
audition. Over the last four years this ensemble has often dragged me to 
places I wasn't entirely sold on going, but they always ended up being the 
highlights of my experience at UVA. I've sung songs I never knew existed, and 
some pieces I thought were dreadful - until I heard how breathtaking we 
sounded when it all came together. I've found kindred souls in a cramped tour 
bus and allies in the most unlikely of social and academic situations.

I've been in a lot of singing groups, but the University Singers is always at 
the top of the list, chiefly because of the balance it strikes between musical 
excellence and fraternal spirit. I'm always surprised how much I learn from 
Professor Slon and my fellow students, not only in musical theory and 
performance but also in the social arena. The two sides bolster each other: 
it's easier to sing at your best when you're surrounded by friends, and the 
deep emotional undercurrents of choral music make a fine bridge to bonding 
with your peers on a level deeper than asking for tonight's English homework.

There is a magical quality in singing Christmas carols at four o'clock on 
retreat, in repeating a piece until it is absolutely perfect and then once 
more just to be sure, in compressing a week's worth of companionship into a 
five-minute break, in knowing you have repaid someone for the evening they 
spent listening to you. I'm glad to be a part of it.